USA Today just reported that a group claiming to be the new temporary government over a portion of eastern Ukraine is ordering Jews to register with the government or face, property confiscation and deportation. In what sounds a lot like the fascist and communist practices leading up to World War 2, the group is targeting people merely for being Jewish.

Jews emerging from a synagogue say they were handed leaflets that ordered the city’s Jews to provide a list of property they own and pay a registration fee “or else have their citizenship revoked, face deportation and see their assets confiscated,” reported Ynet News, Israel’s largest news website.

The organization’s leadership admitted that members handed out the leaflets. NPR later reported that the group is now claiming the leaflets are fraudulently claiming to come from them.

No one disputes, however, that the leaflets themselves are real.

Christians everywhere need to stand in opposition. Romans 11 is clear that we are grafted into that portion of the people of God whom he has called Israel, and that Jesus Christ is the Lord of all. Jews and gentiles both are reconciled to God through Jesus, because those whom Jesus has called to himself are no longer divided from one another but are bound together as one people.

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:11-18.)

It is in the Spirit of Christ that we now must stand with the Jews in Ukraine.

The acceleration of events and tensions regarding our brothers and sisters of Jewish heritage is astounding. The Israeli/PA peace talks have been terminated and now this Ukraine situation – absolutely remarkable (horrid and all but too, remarkable). The times and seasons seem to be straining to a breaking point. Even the moon eclipse seems to be marking the times. We do need to pray, God’s Will be done and let Heaven on Earth reign / rain down.

I think it’s problematic to lump what happened the other day in Ukraine with Israeli-Palestinian tensions. In once instance, Jews were the victims. In the other, the state of Israel puts restrictions on Palestinians like those that were put on Jews in the past–actually some people refer to the situation as a new apartheid. It’s a humanitarian crisis and Palestinians are the victims. Also, lunar eclipses happen on a regular, predictable schedule–I think it’s reading too much into things to look at it as a sign. That’s just my two cents.

Reblogged this on multicolouredsmartypants and commented:
As Christians we must stand against persecution in all its forms. My husband and I support the charity Open Doors, which helps persecuted Christians worldwide. Maybe today, on Good Friday, while we remember the persecution of Christ, we can also remember those who, whatever their creed or colour, still suffer persecution from fellow human beings. What a wretched race we are. God, help us; we are all your children.